Greenville man sentenced to 15 years for 26 sex crimes against two children

Shawn David Worster listens to Justice William Anderson hand down his sentence at Piscataquis County Superior Court in Dover-Foxcroft on Tuesday, June 25, 2013. Worster was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to 26 sex crimes against two children.

Shawn David Worster, 49, will also have 20 years of supervised release after he’s out of prison, said Justice William Anderson during a sentencing hearing at Piscataquis County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Worster pleaded guilty to 10 counts of Class A gross sexual assault, five counts of Class A unlawful sexual contact and 11 counts of Class B unlawful sexual contact against two victims, a boy, 10, and a girl, 8.

“My children and myself will be affected for the rest of our lives,” the mother of the victims said in court. She and the victims are not being named by the Bangor Daily News. “We will need a lot of time to heal.”

Story continues below advertisement.

The crimes against the two children took place over the course of three years, according to documents at the Piscataquis County district attorney’s office.

Worster must not have contact with the victims until they reach the age of 18, not have contact with anyone under the age of 18, be at no place where children congregate, have no access to the internet without permission from a probation officer and undergo sex offender treatment, once he is released.

“My client understands he has issues he needs to work through,” said Steve Smith, attorney for Worster. “He understands the sentence. He’ll do what he has to do.”

The 15-year sentence was agreed upon by both the defense and District Attorney R. Christopher Almy.

Almy previously said that Worster would have likely been sentenced to 45 years in prison if found guilty by a jury, but instead took the agreed-upon sentence to spare the victims from having to testify.

“It would’ve been torturous to [the kids to have to testify],” Almy said in March. “In order to save the kids [from] trauma and testifying in a courtroom in front of the perpetrator, this seems reasonable.”

Worster has already served roughly one year in jail after being arrested last June.

Worster read a statement for the court in which he apologized.

“I’m truly sorry for my actions,” he said. “You deserve better from me. I’ve been in jail for a year. It’s been a year full of tears. There’s no words to describe the sadness in my heart.”

To reach a sexual assault advocate, call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 800-871-7741, TTY 888-458-5599. This free and confidential 24-hour service is accessible from anywhere in Maine. Calls are automatically routed to the closest sexual violence service provider.